Thursday, December 1, 2011

Trinity College

Trinity College was founded during the Reformation (to move forward) to educate people in the newly formed religion.  Former students include; Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and Jonathan Swift.

There are two statues of men in Parliament Square at of Trinity College. One is the former provost George Salmon, the other is is William Edward Hartpole Lecky, and Irish historian.

William E.H. Lecky
George Salmon
 George Salmon was a professor at Trinity College from 1896 to 1904.  Salmon had said that women would come to Trinity College over his dead body. He vetoed allowing women to enter the college until 1901 when the board voted to allow women to attend. In 1904 women were first admitted to Trinity College. He died  just before women undergraduates were admitted.
The Campanile or bell tower at Trinity Colege stands over 100 feet tall and was built in 1853.



The books were hand drawn and written in Latin by Monks. The pictures were embellished with gold overlays and the dyes were made with natural pigments.  The colors are still rich in the book on the page that was open to view. We were able to see three books from different areas, each open to allow us to view one set of pages, under glass, with diffused lighting.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Continuing Day One

We started off the city with a drive through the city where we saw many different things including Fitz William Square where we were able to view homes from the1780's. In the 18th Century Dublin was a Georgian city and they were a wealthy people. Dublin itself was built between the Grand Canal and Royal Canal.  Fitz William Square has wide streets and the wealthy lived here, and often were only here during the Dublin Season from February through St. Patrick's Day.  The season ended with a ball held at the castle. The houses here still have coal covers and some still have boot scrappers that date back to the 1800's.
This door was restored with the arched glass above the door to what was typical in the 1880s.
This is one of the coal shoot covers.  It would make a cook quilt pattern.
The first room behind the door was usually the study, and further back was the dinning room.  The upper floors were living areas with bedrooms above those. The rooms with the smaller windows on top were where the children slept. These homes were long and narrow with long narrow garden behind, and at the very back was an area for the horses.


This is not a parking lot this  is part of the street in front of the building. Our bus is parked across the street from this building out of the picture, but behind the cars you see here.
Across from this row of houses, which today are primarily rented out for two years nine months by attorneys and other business offices, is Fitz William Park. It is a private park which is open only to private owners.

We went by the National Maternity Hospital which was built in 1830.  It is off Marion Square which is a park open to the public as are most of the green squares in Dublin.  We also passed the National Gallery of Art, Sir William Wilde's Home, the Parliament House, Steven's Green, The Mansion House, and St.Anne's Church on our way to Trinity College.  All National Museums are open to the public free of charge like our Smithsonian Museums in Washington, D.C.

We entered Trinity College from Nassau Street which I am told is the most dangerous street in Dublin.

 Wow! Talk about an over dose of history and being right up my alley.  It was wonderful and the art work in The Book of Kells is incredible.
When we arrived at Trinity College we first entered Fellow's Square where an Alexander Calder sculpture is prominently displayed. Now I do not know about you, but when the guide asked us what we thought it was I was way off in the wrong direction.  What do you think this is?

Cactus Provisoire (1967) welded steel

 I do not think it looks like a cactus, more like a fish of some kind, but then artist have some wild imaginations.  I do like his work though, even if I do not always understand it.

 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Ireland Day One

After flying over seven hours we landed in Dublin. It was a beautiful day, and I was in Ireland, what could make a day better? The airport is 16 kilometers north of the city of Dublin. The city itself is horseshoe shaped and built along the banks of the River Liffey and Dublin Bay.


The first thing I noticed was that the signs were in Gaelic (Irish) and English. Most of Ireland speaks English, though the official language of the country is Gaelic. Most people in Ireland learn English at a young age. English names are often corrupted versions of the Gaelic names. The difference is that the Irish names have meaning. Kill or Cill means church or cell, and dates back to the days when monasteries were spread all over Ireland.

Dun meaning for or fortification came fro the times when Ireland was invaded. Towns that began with this name were built around forts.

Balli or Ballya means the town of the castle. Those are many towns that were built around castles.

The River Liffey is horseshoe shaped and runs roughly 8- miles from the mountains down to the sea. Dublin is in the area of the Liffey Valley.

Dublin has many parks within the city limits, and many are small roughly, one block square, but Phoenix Park is the largest enclosed park in Europe. It is 1,063 acres of park land, two times the size of Central Park in New York City. It is with in walking distance of the city center. There are two residents who live in the park, the President of Ireland and the American Ambassador.

The American Ambassador has such a place of honor because of America's support of Ireland in its fight for independence.

As we drove into the city we passed by the Guinness Store house which we will tour while here.   I got a kick out of this sign that we drove past which said "Guinness for Strength"
Dublin has a light rail system as part of its public transportation system.  I love the look of the train. I would love to have one like this in Anchorage.

We were dropped off at our hotel and had time to clean up and relax for a but before setting off on our city tour, which included a stop to see the Book of Kells. More next time.....

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

The Grand Canyon

Of all the places we visited this summer, the most breath taking was the Grand Canyon, and Grand does not begin to describe it. It is a gift to us from God., and is the most beautiful place I have ever been. There is what I call Alaska beautiful, but the Grand Canyon is a different kind of beautiful. It is beyond words, and gave me chills and goosebumps. Even just thinking back to standing on the edge of the canyon looking out I still get chills and feel in awe that such a beautiful place exists
.

We hiked down into to canyon in several places, and around every curve the views were more beautiful that the last. The colors of the canyon were some I have never seen before. Some of the plants that grow there are ones that I have never seen before, others looked more beautiful than because of the setting.


 I loved the sunset which we watched from one of the canyon. It was beyond words, I cannot even begin to describe the sight or the emotions I felt while standing there observing the sunset. The colors were brighter, yet softer and seemed to caress the canyon walls, painting a picture that was unlike anything I had seen before. Paintings depicting sunset in the canyon do not even come close to showing the true beauty of it. Even photographs cannot capture the real colors, though they come closer than any painting I have seen. The colors are pure, their rich, and alive. To truly understand you have to experience it.

The same can be said of the sunrise which I also witnessed. We awoke at 4 AM and stumbled in the dark to catch the shuttle to Hopi Point, along with a family of four and two young ladies.
It was so peaceful at that hour. Everyone went their own way, so it was as if I was alone on the edge of the canyon watching the sun rise. Tom went off a different direction that I did to watch and photograph the sunrise. I sat quietly watching to start, and took a few pictures, but mostly I was in awe.
I was numb overwhelmed with feelings of joy and awe. It was very spiritual for me. I felt closer to God that I have ever felt. It was a very emotional experience for me.

I was sad the day we left the canyon, I felt like I was leaving the place where my heart belonged. It was a place of such spiritual prescence, and comfort. Even with all the frowds of people it was very peaceful and calming. I felt that I was at peace in the canyon.

Tom and I did have some fun with a few pictures.
One last longing look at the canyon before departing..........

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Home

Arrived home late last night, exhausted from traveling. Seventeen hours of flying not including layovers and such and I am wiped out.  I have one more summer trip post to add to my blog and I have roughed out ideas for the trip to Ireland, but need time to put things in order here in the house, get my sleep cycle back on track, and pictures transferred from camera disks to computer.  The time change and the travel are hard on the body, but the trip was a delight. I would love to visit Ireland again and also take a trip to Scotland, Wales and England.  I also need to write a letter to Bryce and apologize for sending him so many post cards as there were four letters and a post card from him awaiting us on our arrival home. In one letter he said not to send post cards, OPPS! too late I mailed about 15 to him while we were in Ireland. I have a feeling they read them aloud.  Don't think I put anything embarrassing on any that I send, so hopefully when they read he does not get razed too much.
For now I am off to take a short nap and think about what I can find in the cupboard to fix for dinner as we need to make a trip to the grocery store since the fridge is empty. 

Thursday, September 22, 2011

New Orleans

We had a wonderful ride to New Orleans. Our train attendant was Marcie. She is 76 years old and very spry, with a great sense of humor. She said she plans to keep working for several more years. She is from New Orleans and gave us some suggestions on places to visit while we were there.

We stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel which was beyond words. They lobby was gorgeous with gold everywhere. There were old paintings, a grand piano, a long hallway that just shouted elegance and money. I'm not sure what it costs to stay there, but WOW! I was in shock the minute walked it. It just screamed money.

The concierge had been to Alaska and said that if there was anything we needed to let him know. He even said that he could probably even find us Muktuk if we wanted it. That made me laugh.

Our room was huge! The bed was very comfortable. The room had a hinge window with drapes out of "Gone With the Wind." There were chocolates on our pillows, along with the next days weather forecast. There were bottles of water on the dresser and a walk in closet with robes and slippers. The bathroom was gigantic with a huge vanity, the size of my bathroom in length. I could have fit more than two of my bathrooms at home in the bathroom in our room. I was in awe. It was like a honeymoon suite. There was even a sitting area in the hallway near the elevators. I felt like royalty. We were just a couple of blocks off the French Quarter.

After we freshened up we went for a walk in the French Quarter and stopped for some grilled shrimp and onion rings at Felix's. The food was really good for little hole in the wall. We walked down Bourbon Street. There was loud music, half naked girls, and a variety of people. At one point there were half-naked girls on a balcony and two women on the street flashed their boobs at them. The girls on the balcony threw down beads for the girls. I whipped around, beat red. I was totally embarrassed. Tom said that was how you collect beads on Bourbon Street. I was shocked and not sure how to react. I told Tom that if I wanted beads I would just buy them.

We continued our walk, during which Tom got several eyes full, as half-naked girls shook their booties to entice men into their establishments. We stopped for a drink. I decided since we were in New Orleans I should try a Hurricane, it tasted like overly sweet Hawaiian Punch, definitely not my cup of tea.

We were stopped for being too serious and had to pay a fine to help the homeless. I got a hat in return, as well as two stickers. One for Tom said he was "Too Far From Puking" and mine said something about not smiling. THe guy who stopped is a teacher and he said teachers volunteer to collect money for the homeless shelters. He kept referring to me as Tom's daughter. It was an interesting experience, though a little too crazy for me. I'm sure it is worse during Carnival. After that we returned to the hotel to get some sleep.

The next morning we walked down Canal Street to Decatur to Cafe Du Monde for beignets. There were deliciously deadly, fried and buried under a mound of powdered sugar. An order is three and we split it. Tom had a cup of coffee with chicory. He said it was really good.


I bought postcards and Tom took a picture of me wearing a mask like they wear during Mardi Gras. The owner of the store has been to Alaska and we talked about the weather differences.I said I was dying in the humidity and she told me to think of it as a sauna that I did not have to pay for. It was clearing all the chemicals out of my skin as I sweated and to think what beautiful skin I would have as a result. I thought she had a great point. Every time I felt overwhelmed buy the heat and humidity, I told myself I am in a sauna and my skin will look beautiful when I leave.


We walked over to the river, the Mighty Mississippi. It is a bug muddy river. The water is very dark and you can not see down into it, but it reflects the sunlight beautifully.

We found a store called "Aunt Sally's" which I loved as I have an Aunt Sally. I bought postcards and candy. They had the best pralines. I bought three different kinds. We also went to an artist co-op called "Dutch Alley." I bought a beautiful silk scarf and a hat. I also bought several cards by an artist we met. She is an excellent artist. We ate at a place she recommended. It was very good.

We walked in the rain to catch the trolley along the river walk, but it was not running, so we ended up walking a lot further. Along the way we stopped and took pictures of the immigration statue and the Holocaust Memorial. One side has the star of David and the other has a Menorah. We took a break at the iMax theater and checked out their gift store and the aquarium next door. From there we walked to Harrah's for a hot drink and waited out a major down pour that hit. A couple came in drenched while we were waiting for the rain to stop. I was very glad we decided we wanted something to drink instead of continuing our walk since it started pouring so hard.

We caught the St. Charles Trolley. It is the oldest street car in New Orleans. We had a fun time on the ride and took tons of pictures while riding, including Loyola College, a trolley historical sign and other historical signs. We met some interesting people on the trolley, including a family from Australia. We rode to the end of the line and got off while they flipped the seats in the other direction and then we got back in and rode back to where we started.

We had dinner at Pat O'Brien's down on Bourbon Street. Tom took a picture of one of the dancers/hookers who was half naked. She yelled at him "No pictures!"

Tom told her that if she did not want her picture taken she shouldn't be out in the street dressed like that. Tom sent the picture to Bryce who texted back "Where are you?"

Tom responded "Bourbon Street, New Orleans."

Bryce texted back, "Wow!"

We continued our walk to dinner. I had shrimp creole and Tom had shrimp remoulade with fried grits. Both were very good. We shared a half of a piece of heavenly pecan pie for dessert. I took the rest back to the hotel to eat later.

After dinner we walked around Bourbon Street for a while and then headed back to our hotel to pack.

The next morning we had breakfast at Mother's which is in an old red brick building with bare brick walls. When you walked in the door you picked up the menu, walked to the register to order, pay, and get your drinks. Water is self-serve. They bring your food to your table when it is ready. The food was excellent, homemade biscuits and homemade jam. They served you a ton of food. They have a wall of Medal of Honor recipients and police and firemen. It is a pretty cool place. They had some water damage with Katrina, but was salvaged and for a period of time the employees lived in FEMA trailers outside while fixing up the place.

Grits are interesting, they have no real flavor. They need butter, sugar, cheese, or something to have any flavor. The fried grits Tom had were really good. They cook them until they are really thick, layer them in a pan to dry, then cut them into wedges and fry them lightly on each side in a little oil and serve with shrimp in a remoulade like sauce.

We had a nice walk back to our hotel where we relaxed for a while before heading to the train station for our ride to Memphis.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Holocaust Museum

If you are ever in Washington DC and can only visit one museum, then I highly recommend the Holocaust Museum. It is dark, and yes, depressing, but it is also very well done and enlightening. It tells the story of a horrific time in history in a way that makes you see the bright side as well. The hope, the love, the belief in a better life that helped to hold many people together in a time that is beyond words for the horror that they endured.

To quote a sign I saw at the museum: "The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored, persecution, and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators." (Quoted from http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143)

The Holocaust Museum looks like any other building on the outside, if you ignore the signs. It does not stand out as a blot on the history of the world, but once inside and having ridden the elevator up to where the exhibit starts, you see a black wall with black letters, the lighting is subdued. Even the children who walked through seemed to know this was not a place to run and play, but a place to be reverent and respectful. There was an unsettled quiet in the air as if people's emotions were floating around, including those of the dead. It was unsettling and yet at the same time fascinating to be able to look into the past and pray that we learn from it, that we do not ever repeat the horrors of this past.


One thing that was really nice was that being that Tom is a retired military we did not have to get tickets in advance. We were given immediate entry passes. When you first go in to get on the elevators there is rack with booklets which tell about some one who suffered through the Holocaust. Each person is encouraged to pick up a booklet and to check at the end of the exhibit on the computer to find out more about what happened to them. By luck of the draw I picked a woman and Tom picked a man. My woman died while hiding from the Nazis. She and her husband and two children were hiding in a stream for several days and her husband said that at one point she was there and then she was not. He is not sure if the Nazi's got her or if she drowned and floated off down the river. Can you imagine spending several days standing in a river hiding from the Nazi's? Imagine how cold and shriveled you would be, no food, unable to get dry and warm. To me that is torture, and it does not even begin to compare to the actual torture that the Nazi's inflicted on the Jews.

We saw videos of American, and British soldiers getting to the camps, rescuing the survivors. They came to Ohrduf Concentration Camp in Central Germany in April 1945. We saw video of Dachau Concentration Camp's liberation.

"The things we was beggar description...The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty, and bestiality were...overpowering..." General Dwight D. Eisenhower, April 15, 1945.

It was inhuman how they were treated. It is ridiculous that people can deny that the Holocaust happened when there is so much evidence the it did happen.

Walking through the exhibit were saw actual uniforms that were worn by the prisoners in the concentration camps.They were tattered and stained. These people were robbed of their lives and their homes. They were treated like animals, not as human beings.

We watched a video on the "Nazi Rise to Power" which showed the German Mark being used as wall paper in 1921 because it was worthless. The video showed work by Kathe Kollwitz a German Artist, protestations stating "Death to Marxism" and discussed Hitler's stint in jail, during which time he wrote"Mein Kampf" which means "My Struggle." Hitler blamed the depression on the Communists, the Jews, and the Versailles Treaty. By 1933 Hitler was the master of Germany.

The Jewish people had lived in Europe over 2,000 by 1933. Heinrich Heine wrote, "Where books are burned, in the end people will be burned." He was a Jewish poet and he wrote this when he books were being burned that were written by many authors, both Jewish and non-Jewish, before Hitler came into power.

One reason many people survived is because no matter what Hitler and the Nazi's did they could not stop them from thinking or take away their imaginations. Many who survived, did so because of their ability to picture things as different than they were.

Operation T4 was the Nazi code name for the systematic killing of the handicapped by using them for medical experiments. Hitler considered the handicapped to be inferior. A person who is handicapped is not inferior, look at Stephen Hawkings. Does it matter that he is in wheel chair? Not when you consider what all he has done for science.

Walking through the exhibit we saw a display of shoes from those who were gassed. The Nazi's kept them as if they were something to be proud of. The poem by this part of the exhibit began with the following words: "We are the shoes, we are the last witness..." by Moses Schulstein, a Yiddish poet. It was so sad to see all those shoes, a silent reminder of the six million Jews who were killed. There was also a picture of the hair piles from the concentration camp. The hair was used to stuff things, like pillows and beds.

The exhibit contains a train car and tracks from Treblinka. The car was actually used to transport Jews to the camps. Stacked near the trains were pile of luggage from Auschwitz. Suitcases in which they had packed their most precious belongs and clothing thinking they were were going to work camps, or simply being relocated, they had no idea they were going to their deaths. There were beds from the barracks at Auschwitz and Baden-Wooden. The beds were slats of wood where five or six people were huddled together for warmth and comfort. There was not mattress to soften the wood, and most did not even have a blanket for warmth. There were iron cast models of the ovens, and a table from a camp, with a hole for the blood to drain, where they had laid out the dead to pull out their gold crowns. There was also a diorama showing people lined up to enter the "showers," as they are gassed and transported to the ovens, and pile of bones.

More horrifying than this were the videos showing the pictures the Nazis took during their medical experiments, that included putting them in pressure chambers to test the effects and submersing them in freezing cold water until they froze to death. It was horrible to watch this form of torture. Hitler and the people who followed him and did his will were monsters. They were all sick, insane, people who needed to be locked away. What they did to the six million Jews, gypsies, handicapped, and others is a crime against humanity. What is even sadder is that many people let this happen, they did not believe what was happening and so did nothing.

There was poem by a Lutheran minister, Martin Niemolher, that says, "First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me." This poem is so true as many people turn their heads and ignore what is happening around them because it does not directly affect them. We all need to be aware of what is going on around us and to pay it forward, help others, and be there for our fellow man. If we do nothing history could repeat itself and we could end up with another Holocaust or something similar.

There were survivor stories on audios. They told of children being gassed when they arrived at the camps, as well as pregnant women. At the end the videos of survivors and liberators told their stories. On particular one stood out to me. It was a woman who told of an American soldier when he found her with a group of women in a barn after they had been marched there by the Germans. When she saw the soldiers she told the first one "I must tell you I am Jewish." The soldier responded, "So am I." She said at that moment she felt liberated. She also talked about a friend who died just before they were liberated. She said they had made a bet three years earlier. She said she would be liberated, her friend said they would not. She told her friend when they were liberated she had to get her strawberries and cream. This woman said she survived because her father told her to wear her ski boots. She said they protected her feet on the long, cold, death march. She said her boots protected her feed from freezing. Her feet did not freeze, like many others feet did. She said people' feet froze and their toes fell off.

Elie Wiesel said, "For the dead and the living must remember." We must never forget the horror of the Holocaust, or we are doomed to repeat it." I pray that we have learned from this experience and that it is never repeated. If we learn no other lesson in life, this lesson is the one should learn.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Other Thoughts on D.C.

We did not tour the Newseum, but I did like the fact that the quote "Congress shall make no laws..." about the right to print newspapers was on the outside of the building. Every morning they display the front page from a major newspaper from each state, so we were able to stop and peruse the front page of the Anchorage Daily News to see what the newspaper thought was the big news of the day.

The capital city in Maryland is divided into four quadrants: northwest, southwest, north east, and southeast. The city proper meaning the area in which all the government and historical areas of interest are in a diamond shaped layout. I know pure trivia, but interesting to me, must be the history teacher in me. :)

There is a statue of Albert Gallatin who served under President Jefferson and cleaned up a fourteen million dollar deficit, plus added some surplus to our national treasury. Where is he when we need him. Can we bring back a reincarnation of him so he can clear up our national deficit today? We certainly need someone like him.

The third oldest building in D.C. is the treasury building, It took three years to build. THe second is the capital and the White House is the oldest. Government and money, seem to be the rule of the day even back then. I do love the architecture of the old buildings and the columns that seem to be everywhere. I would have loved to have lived at Tara in the movie 'Gone With the Wind" only with air conditioning, please.

Speaking of the White House, it was opened in 1800 and every president except our first, George Washington, has lived in it. George Washington oversaw the construction. He died in 1799.

We did not tour the White House but man would I hate to have to clean the place. It has one hundred thirty-two rooms, twenty-eight fireplaces, three elevators, thirty-five bathrooms, a forty-six seat theater, and a bowling alley. It is 5,500 square feet in area with five floors and an attic. That is a lot of cleaning. The president and his family live in the back of the house, but there is no back door. There are about six entrances, but not one is called the back door because the president cannot bring anyone in the backdoor without insulting them.

We also went out near the Arlington National Cemetery and saw the oldest section, number 27. Two presidents are buried in Arlington, John F. Kennedy and WIlliam Howard Taft and his wife. Taft weighed over three hundred pounds. As we drove by the cemetery I was thinking of all the lost souls buried there. All those who fought for our country and our freedom. Many people do not stop and think about the fact that freedom is not free. It is paid for with the lives of every person who has died fighting to keep our country free, fighting for our rights to stand up and protest, or burn the flag, or to march in honor of anything we believe in. We have the right of free speech and religion because of those who died to defend our right to it. There is a poem that was written by a high school student, Kelly Strong, in 1981 as a tribute to his father, a marine who served in Vietnam.

"FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze;
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform,
So young, so tall, so proud;
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought... how many men like him
Had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves
No, Freedom is not Free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still;
I listened to the bugler play,
And felt a sudden chill;

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend;

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands.
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No. Freedom is not Free!

©Copyright 1981 by Kelly Strong
http://iwvpa.net/strongk/

I love this poem. It expresses what we all need to learn, freedom is not free it is paid for with the blood of our forefathers, our brothers, and sisters, friends, and enemies who have fought for our right to make the choices we do, even those that are dangerous and immoral.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?

     I will never forget September 11, 2001.  I was getting ready for work when the phone rang and I ran to answer it, wondering who was calling at about6:30 in the morning, Alaska time.  It was my oldest son calling to yell in my ear that we were under attack and to turn on the television. I was confused, but went down stairs to turn on the television.  It was shortly after that I watched the plane fly into the second tower and I was in shock.  Bryce was with me and wanted to know why we were under attack.
     I remember calling my neighbor and yelling at her as she was half asleep, telling her to get up and turn on her television. She was like "What, what, what time is it?" 
     I told her to wake up and turn on her television. We were under attack.  She finally got it and got up to turn on her television.  She called me later in shock.
      It was an emotionally harrowing day.  I remember calling my mother and talking to my students about it.  It was very rough day. 
      I have a friend who thought she watched her father die on national television.  He worked in the towers and she did not know until late in the day if he was alive or not. She was honest with her students and they were very understanding of all she had gone through because of their own fear. 
     When I talked to my husband later in the day he said that at first he thought it was a joke because of the DJs on the radio station he was listening to. The DH's were known as jokers.  He changed the radio station and got the same news so realized it was for real and told my son to call me.
     I thought at one point it was the end of the world.  I had been reading "The Left Behind" books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins and in the first book they talk about people disappearing and planes falling from the sky. When I saw the plane fall and crash into the second tower I thought I had been left behind.
      I will never forget this date. It is one like December 7th, that "will live in infamy" to take words from FDR.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Washington D.C. Two

We went on a bus tour of the monuments and memorials in the evening, We started in China Town where our hotel was. The driver pointed our several points of interest as we drove to other hotels to collect other tourists and then to the Old Post Office Building to meet our tour guide, Larry. We rode past Freedom Plaza where Martin Luther King started his march to the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963. We rode down Pennsylvania Avenue; also known as America's Main Street.
We started at the Old Post Office Building. You can climb to the top during the day and have a 360° view of the city. We plan to do that tomorrow. Our tour group included a couple from Hawaii and one from Canada as well. Larry pointed out that the Canadian Embassy is in a prestigious position as it is on Pennsylvania Avenue and close to our Congress. Our embassy is afforded the same prestigious position in Canada. We drove by the Capital Reflecting Pool and the statue of President Garfield, he is one of the four presidents who were assassinated. The statue consists of three statues each wearing a different hat, to represent his three roles.
The Capital Building was built in stages with left side ( when looking from the front of the building, though most of the time we see it from the back as that is what faces the Mall), being built first. Our guide shared lots of interesting tidbits, such as the fact that a flag was flying over the right side of the building, from the back view, meant that the House was still in session at 9:00 at night. He said that was unusual. No flag was flying over the right side of the building which meant the Senate had adjourned for the day. Next time we go to Washington we need to arrange a tour with one of our representatives of our senator. I think it would be interesting to observe them in session to see if they really get anything done. (I know pure sarcasm, but look at the boat we are in and it is sinking fast.)
We stopped to look at several of memorials as there are really only one monument in D.C. The rest are memorials or statues to people. I liked the statue of Benjamin Franklin at the Old Post Office as it has a plaque on each side with a title for each of his roles in life: patriot, philosopher, philanthropist, printer. I love the fact that it credits his different roles in life and in the founding of our country.
We also went to the Lincoln Memorial which has two tiers of states carved above it, the first is those that were states when he was assassinated, the second those that were states when the memorial was dedicated, and lastly so as not to be forgotten Alaska and Hawaii are engraved in the steps below the memorial. We get walked on and most people do not even realize they are there. I would not have known it if Larry, the tour guide,had not pointed it out to us. Sadly, I did not get a picture of them and that is one I really wanted. It was too dark when we were there on the tour and we did not get back over there the next day before we left. Inside the memorial are carved quotes from his Second Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address. His memorial is representative of Greek temples with Doric columns.
The Jefferson Memorial is also very powerful. Seeing it at night may have made it more powerful, but you look at that ginormous statue and think of the man and all he did for our country and it is very overwhelming and powerful. It made me feel small and insignificant in comparison. I mean I have not done near what he did in my lifetime and I can never surpass his writing of the Declaration of Independence. His memorial is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, which is magnificent and his does it justice. The statue is bronze, though originally it was a plaster model. I find it interesting that a man who did so much for the beginning of our country almost got a lesser memorial because it was thought that this memorial would rival or overpower the Lincoln Memorial when it was being built. Both men are great but Lincoln would not have been able to do what he did if Jefferson had not done what he did. Think about it, the country had to come first before it could divide and be made whole again. The memorial represents him as a philosopher and a statesman. There are five quotations from his writings carved in the memorial.
The Washington Monument is also powerful, but in a different way. It stands like a centennial in the center, tall and straight like a soldier watching over the city. It is very stark when compared to the memorials to other presidents. There is no face, no quotes, nothing to show the man who lead our country in war, and as first president under the Constitution. It is 555 and 5 1/8 inches tall. Because of a lack of funds the monument was build over time and marble from two difference quarries was used to complete it. It is because of weathering and the different quarries that the monument looks to be two different colors. George Washington was also the only president not to live in the White House, though he did choose the architect who designed it. He also set the standard of two terms, which every president except Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
While in D.C. we also visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The first flag actually took my breath away. It was huge, and the emotion tied to the history was overwhelming. I wonder where the missing star is and what about the other pieces that were cut off and given away to visitors. I think the efforts to preserve the flag are exceptional and show the love of our country and our history. The exhibit is well done and I love the interactive display where you can tough different parts and have information revealed about the flag's history and preservation. I think it is an excellent teaching tool and am glad that it is also available on-line.
We went in search of the National Gallery of Art and by change ended up in the building the old art or the West Building. It houses art from the Medieval period through the late 19th century. What I consider to be art, Rembrandt, Monet, Degas, van Gogh, da Vinci. My kind of art. I was in heaven trying to take it all in, as was Tom. We were there until they kicked us out at close. I did get some postcards of a few of the pieces we saw. I was thrilled to get to see Ginevra de' Benci by Leonardo da Vinci, as I love his works. There was Saint George and the Dragon by Raphael, and The Annunciation by Van Eyck. There were pieces by Degas, Botticelli, and Rodin. I could have spent days in there alone. It was magnificent and definitely on the list to spend more time at when we return to D.C.
We also visited the Holocaust Museum, but that is a post in and of itself.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Washington D.C. One

We got up at 4:00AM to catch the train to Washington, DC at 5:30, though it did not arrive until 5:50 so were about 40 minutes late. They did not do checked baggage so we had all the luggage in the business class car on the train. Our first stop was Syracuse and I got some nice pictures of the lake on the way. I liked the station at Utica, it had an old time train. We went through Amsterdam, Schenectady, Albany, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and crossed the Hudson River on our way into New York City. There was what looked like the ruins of a castle on an island in the river. I got a picture, and once I figure out how to post pictures on my iPad I will add them to my blog.
The cafe car attendant on the train was a riot. He had a great personality. Business class was really nice. The seats were really nice. We had free coffee, tea, and soda served at our seats.
Once we arrive at New York's Penn Station we had a red cap help us with our luggage as we had to change trains and we had to carry all the luggage, not just the hand carry. He took us to a waiting area and said he would be back to get us when it was time to board our train. I called my mom to let her know where we were on our journey. Tom had a Nathan's Famous Hot Dog, just so he could say he had one. I found a Starbucks and had a chai frappe and a turkey wrap from a deli in the station. The red cap helped us to our next train and we were off to D.C.
We went over bridges leaving New York City, and went through Newark, and Trenton, New Jersey. It reminded me of the time Tom told me to ask a teacher I knew which exit she lived off of in New Jersey. She got angry, and I had no idea that it was a sore spot for people from New Jersey. Tom thought it was funny. When we went through Trenton I saw a sign on a bridge that said "Trenton Makes, The World Takes."
We passed into Pennsylvania and stopped in Philadelphia and then moved on to Delaware where there was a cloud painted on a building. Tom said "That's a terrible picture of a cloud. My kids could do better than that." He was referring to his students. We went through Baltimore, Maryland where we saw a beautiful old church and stopped for the airport, though I did not see the airport. People must have to take a separate local train to get to the airport from that station. We stopped at a metro station in the suburb of New Carlton before pulling into the DC Union Station where we had red cap service to help with the bags. Though we could have walked the few blocks to the hotel we took a taxi because of the luggage.
We stayed at the Fairfield on H Street. It was very clean and we had a nice room. After checking in we went for a walk and ate dinner at the Green Turtle. Tom had the turkey burger, sans bun and I had the raspberry turkey flat bread with sweet potato fries. It was delicious and I recommend you go there if you are in DC.
After dinner we went for a walk to the Capital and took pictures. We walked down the Mall to the Washington Monument, passed several Smithsonian buildings, then over to our hotel. We also passed the Commerce and Treasury Buildings and the road that runs in front of the White House which was blocked for security. We also passed a building that said "Freedom Forum, First Amendment, on the front. We watched some lightening, and got sprinkled on as we walked down Pennsylvania Avenue, Maryland Avenue, and Constitution Avenue. We passed the Bullfinch gate to DC, which had a high water mark from the 1800's. I was tired and sweaty when we got back to the hotel.
I should explain why I mention the lightening. We do not see lightening very often in Alaska so it is a treat when we see it. I love to watch lightening flash as it is beautiful and lights up the sky. I was also excited to see lightening bugs as we walked and wanted to go grab a mayonnaise jar to catch some like I did when I was a kid. Simple pleasures I know, but wonderful memories.
In the morning I talked to the concierge about a night bus tour of the monuments and he is holding us spots for tomorrow night. In the process I misplaced my sunglasses and that caused some confusion. They were actually in my camera case.
We walked to Ford's Theater where President Lincoln was shot and saw the house across the street where he died. We took pictures of both and I bought some souvenirs, including a t-shirt, magnets, and post cards.
The heat and humidity are killers and I'm dying. I think I am melting. I know I am sweating my henna tattoo off. We went into Barnes and Noble for a rest break and to cool off then walked to the White House. We went to the visitor's center and saw paintings by fourteen prominent American artist called "An Artist Visits the White House's Past: The Paintings of Peter Waddell." It was very well done and I enjoyed looking at all the paintings.
From there we walked over to the White House. We did not tour the building but did get some great pics from the outside. Also took pictures of the zero mile marker across from the South lawn. There were a lot of people there and it was neat to see the building in person and not just on TV.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Rochester

We arrived in Rochester tired but we made it. Tom's brother Bobby picked us up at the train station and took us to his house. Tom's sister Judy was waiting for us there. We dropped off the luggage and went to Olive Garden for lunch. Tom's brother Jimmy and his friend met us there. After lunch we went back to Bobby's house for a short nap and then went to his sister Amy's house for pizza on the back deck. The family was there. including Tom's sister Linda and her daughter Danielle, Bobby, Judy, Jimmy, Amy, and her two kids Paige and Joey. It was nice. Danielle talks really fast and her focus jumps every where which is hard to follow and exhausting when you try to keep up with her. It was nice to see all the family. After dinner we went back to Bobby's to shower and sleep. We can't go in Amy's house because she has a cat.
We went to the mall to look for yoga pants and bras for me. It took forever to find a bra that fit and was comfortable. The ones I had found in Seattle were being discontinued, and they do not have my size here in that style. No luck on the yoga pants, they said to try the mall on the other side of town, which was like an hour away. Not going over there, we will look as we travel. We headed back to Bobby's.
Bobby took us on a drive to Lake Ontario. It was beautiful and cool on the beach. A nice break from the heat. We only stayed a few minutes before heading off to run other errands, including a stop to get some wine.
We went to Amy's for dinner, chicken and corn on the cob. The kids are still in school as their summer vacation does not start until next week. We gave the kids a nickel hockey game, they had fun playing it, though they shot a coupled of the nickels so hard they flew down and went through the boards on the deck. Tom and Bobby took the kids for a long walk to the play ground and I took a nap on the deck. I was really tired. I slept over an hour.
The next dat we had a quiet morning at Bobby's house, and then went to a late lunch, early dinner at Amy's. Her husband cooked on the grill. Then Amy, Judy, Bobby, Tom, and I went to a wake for Tom's mother's brother's wife's sister's husband. (I know that is confusing) We went to represent the family and it was nice to see Aunt Judy and Uncle Dave though I wish the circumstance had been different.
Tom and I went for a walk after and I got a Starbucks chai. I miss my morning chai. Both boys called Tom for Father's Day. When Bryce called he told us there is are three bears out at the Boy Scout camp and they are getting into the trash and stuff. He said the camp director said not to kill them, even though fish and game said to kill them. He said he is taking his gun out when he returns to camp because if he sees the bears he is going to shoot them. It worries me because there are young boys out there and the Cub Scout camp is just down the road from there. I am afraid one of the kids will get hurt, especially since the one bear is a cub and if they were to get between the mamma and the cub the momma would definitely go after them.
I slept well last night. Today we went for a walk at Lake Ontario, with Bobby, Judy, and Jimmy. It was a beautiful day. I took some great pictures. We walked along the board walk and walked along a street of house on the lake, until we came to a paved path that ran behind the house, along the lake. We saw some beautiful flowers that I took pictures of. There were some very nice decks and boat launches, as well as some sculptures. We also saw some ducks wandering around the yards.
In one front yard there was a Japanese Maple which is a very pretty red leafed tree. There was also a wooden light house in the yard.
We had lunch at The Pelican Nest. It was very nice. I had a tomato and mozzarella cheese salad. After lunch we went back to Bobby's to pack and to chill for a while.

The trip to Rochester

We met some interesting people on the train during our trip. We had dinner on the train, the food was not too bad, and then went back to our seats. I want my bed, because the seats are not that comfortable to sleep in, but they are nice for sitting. I know part of the issue is I am over tired and ticked off that I lost my sleeper, but in all honesty the seats are not that comfortable for sleeping. I am so glad we have a sleeper when we get to Chicago.
I woke up outside Flagstaff, Arizona. We have crossed the Continental Divide and gone through or near Red Rock State Park. We have also passed through Gallup New Mexico. There are a lot of plateaus and black shale is everywhere on the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico. There was a lot of sage brush across the area.
I am not sure I could live here as there is not much greenery. It is very brown and beige. I prefer more color in my scenery. (Sorry Karen and my other friends in this area, but it looked kind of dead out there.)
We were rerouted out of Albuquerque due to the fires. We backed up into the station and will go straight east from here for a while. They are busing the people who are headed to Trinidad and La Junta, Colorado, as well as those heading to Raton, New Mexico because of the fires.
We ate breakfast in the dining car and it was not bad, but we have a nazi waitress. I called her the dining car nazi. She was a real piece of work. She told you where to sit, two to a side, and there was not arguing with her.
The train stopped at a red light waiting for a freight train to go through and I saw a cowboy, or at least a guy on a horse with a cowboy hat on. There was nothing out there but wide open spaces and the lone cowboy. It made me think of the old west in the movies. We were southeast of Albuquerque, between Contreras and Mountain Air, New Mexico on our way to Clovis, New Mexico.
We had crossed the Rio Grande River before we got to Albuquerque, and saw the San Andrea Mountains. I thought most of New Mexico on the east after the mountains looked like Kansas, very FLAT! There was one lone tree in the miles of flat land. It looked very lonesome out there by itself.
We saw a few other straggling trees scattered out around the country side. We also saw some interesting rock formations.
Tonight the moon was full, some people said it was a harvest moon because it was very orange in color. It was beautiful to see.
We hung out in the lounge car for a while talking to people and playing rummy, until 1:00 AM. We had a fun time. One of the guys let Tom try some herb saint liqueur, which is like absinthe. It tastes like black licorice, or so I am told. I do not like licorice.
We also tried Dubliner Cheese that Spiro, one of the guys on the train who is of Greek descent from Long Island, had. It was very good. I drank a half bottle of wine, that Tom put in my water bottle.
The train wet through Woodward, Oklahoma and we came into some awesome thunderstorms as we went across the panhandle into Kansas. The lightening was awesome, huge and bright. It lit up the night sky like it was noon. Some of the strikes seemed to be way to close to the train, but they were beautiful to watch.
I went back to coach to get a few hours of sleep. They were stopping in Newton, Kansas in little while to let off the people who had to be bussed to the areas we were rerouted around because of the fires. We headed from there toward Kansas City.
I woke up around La Plata, Missouri. I was woken up by a kid screaming, another reason I prefer a sleeper car. I slept through Kansas City. We passed through Fort Madison, Iowa. The fort is by the river. As we crossed the river we moved into Illinois. It was small town America. The are was lush and green, beautiful and quaint. We saw horses, and quaint old houses that reminded me of my Grandma Wilson's house in Altamont, Illinois.
There was a young kid, Anthony, seated across the aisle from us who was moving from Oregon to Vermont. He is a farrier. A farrier is a "hot" horse maker. He heats the horse shoes and shapes them to fit the horses hooves. It sounds like an interesting job from what he told me. It sounds very old timey, from the old west. He works with the owners of farm and race horses and talked some about the different styles of horse shoes depending on what the horse is used for and also the different types of farriers, hot and cold, and the impact on the horses. Hot shoes are designed to fit a specific horse's hove, while cold shoes are just basic horse shoes that can fit any horse, but are not fitted to their hooves. Cold shoes are often loose or to big as they are not shaped to the horses foot. Anthony had on really cool rope sandals with woven straps, I think it would be cool to make a pair and use old tires for the sole.
We went through Mendota, Illinois. I took some pictures of main street and the water tower, very typical of small town midwest, USA. We also went through Naperville, Illinois. The station was an old building like many in this area of the country.
We arrived in Chicago tired from three days in coach with minimal sleep. At the Chicago Union Station we went to the Metro Lounge which is for sleeping car passengers and they let us check our hand carry bags. Then we met up with two people who we met on the train and found a place to eat. It was a cajun grill, a Chinese fast food joint. They had good food. After we ate Tom and I went for a walk around the station and I found a long African skirt that can also be worn as a dress. Tom said I am the only one he knows who would find something to buy in the train station.
We headed back to the Metro lounge to relax for a while, charge the iPads, and wait to board the train and our sleeper car. We boarded about 8:30 PM. Our sleeper cabin was cute with two single bunks, a toilet, and a sink. There was a wine tasting in the dining car for sleeper car passengers. We had white cheddar, cheddar, blue cheese, red and green grapes and our choice of a red or white wine. Tom and I both had white.
Our neighbors in the sleeping car cabin across the hall were a mother and daughter traveling from Wisconsin to Springfield, Massachusetts. They were taking the train because the mother does not fly.
Our train attendant was very nice. She was named Francine. She put the beds down while we were at the wine tasting. The bed in the sleeper car was not to uncomfortable, though a little on the hard side. I slept well. I was rocked to sleep by the train.

Seattle Three

Monday was an interesting day full of excitement. We got up and made sure we had everything packed and ready to go as today was the day we started our train adventure. We went for a walk to the Cherry Coffee place near the hotel for Tom to get a latte and to Starbucks for my chai, then hung out in the lobby waiting for Beau and Michelle to arrive. Once they arrived we checked out of the hotel and loaded their car then headed off walking toward Pike's Street in search of The Pink Door Restaurant for lunch.
The door is really more of a peach color, but the restaurant is cool. It has swings and trapeze hanging from the ceiling. Michelle says that at night they have scantily clad young ladies perform on the trapeze and a swings. The art work is cool. There is a mural of a clown mime and a monkey on one wall.
Lunch was very good. After we ordered Michelle remembered that they had forgotten to feed more money into the meter, so Beau went running back to feed the meter. Instead he discovered a ticket on the car for $39, which was much better than the $100 Michelle thought it was going to cost. Beau did not get back until we were done eating as it was several blocks back to where the car was parked. I had a delicious melt in your mouth, meatless lasagna made with spinach noodles. Tom had a salad and grilled asparagus. It was very good also. We enjoyed seeing Michelle and Beau and having lunch with them. On our walk back to the car we stopped at a Crumpets store for Michelle as a friend had told here that they were really good. She bought some to go, they looked delicious.
Next stop the train station. We went in search of it and after going in what felt like circles we found it. We unloaded the car andTom went to the ticket counter only to find out that they had canceled our train on May 31st. No one called us. They said that they had called and talked to someone on June 10th at 8:20 PM. We left our house in Anchorage on June 10th at 7:30 AM to catch our flight to Seattle. Someone screwed up big time, as no one was home in Anchorage.
They cannot get us out on the Empire Builder across the northern states due to flooding and mud slides. I asked about the California Zephyr which goes through Denver and it was closed also due to the flooding moving south. THey said there was a 50-50 chance the northern route would open up in two days, but that would screw up our visit to Rochester. They can put us on a train south to LA to get on the Southwest Chief to Chicago but that only gives us one day or two in Rochester and no sleeper car across to Chicago. After two hours of phone calls and checking things, if we fly to LA tonight we can get out tomorrow on the Southwest Chief, in coach, no sleepers are available. We will only be one day behind schedule when we get to Rochester. The station agent was named Lauren. and he was very patient. I did end up crying at one point out of pure frustration. Michelle and Beau were very patient through out it all. We are ever so grateful that they stayed and waited with us while we were doing all this because otherwise we would never have made it to the airport on time. Amtrak refunded, via mail, the $674 for the loss of our sleeper car. We may or may not have access to plug-ins for our electronics on the train. It is a 43 hour trip cross the country to CHicago, in coach. Tom says to look at it as an adventure, I told him it is like camping under the stars to me. I am not really looking forward to this, but Tom says to look at is like an adventure.
It was funny watching Tom on his phone trying to make flight reservations to LA while talking to the station agent to confirm the flight to LA so we could make the flight. He had to pick a different flight and got the last two seats in first class. It took over two hours to get things straightened out. Some people in line were very patient, but others like this one woman who was down right rude. There was one young girl there who was rerouting her return trip because she knew that the floods would not be gone when she was heading home in a week, as they have no idea when they the routes will reopen. They said it was a 50-50 chance that they would open the empire builder on Thursday, June 16th.
I am not looking forward to riding in coach for three days, when I had planned for a sleeper car. Tom says to view it as an adventure. It will be an adventure for sure, with no bed to sleep in for 43+ hours.
Michelle and Beau drove us to the airport with a stop at Target for another suitcase as we had bought three mini bottles of wine to have on the train. Each one is about two glasses. You can bring your own alcoholic beverages if you are in a sleeper. Michelle and Beau were great and we owe them big time for all their help.
At the airport we did an insanely quick suitcase shift and repack. The airport police gave us some strange looks as we had things strewn all around us on the floor as we moved things around trying to make sure that nothing illegal was in the hand carry, but that we had all the meds in the hand carry. We had to make sure all the liquids were in the checked baggage. It was wild. We checked three bags, and headed to the gate to catch our flight to LAX, with a stop for a chai and a coffee.
The flight to LAX was smooth. They served us a snack of Mac and Cheese. When we arrived in LA we collected our baggage and walked to the USO. It is called the Bob Hope Memorial USO and is the flagship. The USO is for military personnel and their families and we have access to it because Tom is retired Navy.
When we got to the USO we had to shift things around in the suitcases again so we had everything we needed in the hand carry on the train. When we were done we crashed on a couple of couches for a few hours. It was fit full sleep as the one girl who was there snored like a lumberjack and the T.V. was on all night, which was annoying, but it was free.
It was wonderful to take a shower in the morning. I could have spent an hour in there. We had something to eat and hung out for a while. Tom walked over to the terminal and brought me back a chai, which was wonderful. I spent the time downloading pictures to my iPad, as the internet was down.
I met a nice lady from Indiana who was in her 60s. He husband is a retired colonel. She taught in Iceland, at a DOD school and then taught in inner city Cleveland schools. She said she is just an Ohio farm girl. Her son just left for 3 years in Okinawa with his wife, 2 year old, and 9 month old. She was sad as she said she is not sure if she is up to traveling to Okinawa, so will miss her son and his family. I understand as I remember living overseas and not being able to see my grandparents for like six years.
We caught the Fly Away bus at the terminal to Union Station so we could get on the train. It took us a long time to get from the airport to the station. I took pictures of the song,trees, graffiti, highway signs, traffic and us on the bus. I could never live in LA, there are too many people and it is way to crowded. They highway was wall to wall cars. (shaking my head) It is not for me.
We met two nice young men on the bus who were trying to catch a train that was scheduled to depart about five minutes after we were due to arrive at Union Station. They missed the train and had to catch the next one two hours later. They were lucky because usually if you miss a train you have to wait a whole day to catch the next one. They had been trying to fly space available to Guam to visit family, but had no luck for two days and were told it could be several weeks before they got there, and if they got there they could get stuck in Hawaii on the way back as all the flights were booked full for the next few months. They decided they would try another time when it might not be so busy.
We hiked from the bus to the station entrance and Tom took two trips to get the luggage downy the escalator. Then we hiked past all the tracks to get to the station, as the bus drops you off in the back. We were looking for where to check in and check our baggage. Tom lost sight of me when I turned a corner and got in line and he went straight. The next thing I hear is him calling my name, loudly. An Amtrak station attendant was helping him and said he was panicked. Rolland, the am track station attendant was very helpful and nice. He helped us over to the baggage check in and then left Tom there with the checked bags and helped me with the hand carry. He helped me find a seat and told me when and where Tom should get in line to get our seat assignments. Tom was very stressed. Rolland also told me to talk to the conductor about the possibility of getting a sleeper car. He said sometimes there are no shows and if we could upgrade en-route it would be cheaper also. He also told Tom to take good care of me.
I took pictures in the station including ones of a bird that was flying around inside. Tom went for a walk around the station and found us some food and a chai for me. He took some pictures outside the station also.
It was kind of peaceful in the station. You could hear the birds chirping that were in the station. I think they have nests up in the tall ceiling and chandeliers. I talked to a station attendant named Eric, who wanted to know about my henna tattoo. He was also very nice.
The train was delayed so we boarded and departed late. We met a lot of interesting people on the train. We were in car 13, seats 13 and 14. I did talk to the conductor about the chance of getting a sleeper, but no go. The one good thing was that we did have a plug at our seat so we could plug in our electronics and keep them charged.
We left LA, and Tom was looking at houses on his iPhone in Fullerton, CA when we stopped there. I took pictures out the window of the train a long the way.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Seattle Two revised

Due to technical difficulties I cannot get the pictures to post, and it is very frustrating. I have spent hours today, Father's Day, trying to fix this. I hope to resolve the issue as I have some great pictures to post if I can get them to work. Stay tuned as we continue to work on this problem.

We arrived safely in Seattle on Friday evening, after a bumpy flight. Flying first class has its perks. We had fresh spinach salad and tomato bisque for lunch and it was very good. We also get a Digiplayer at no cost. I watched "Unknown" with Liam Neeson, it was a good movie.

We took the Seattle Link light rail from the airport to the Pioneer Square Station. It was very clean and was a nice ride, though it was a hike from the terminal to the station. We walked the two blocks from there to our hotel. The hotel is in a a building that was built in 1904 and has the original marble stair case on the lower two floors, which is worn in places from all the people climbing up and down over the last 107 years. It is a beautiful white marble.


The outside of the hotel has a carved granite facing as do many other buildings in Seattle. I loved looking at all the buildings as we walked along. I love the architecture in different cities.

We inspected the room very carefully for bed bugs, and found no signs on the mattress. I had flashlight so I could make sure I could see if there were any visitors. Just to be on the safe side I sprayed the mattress and closet with the bed bug pray I bought from Magellan's. We did not wake up with bits during our stay, so I am glad we will be returning to the same hotel when we return to Seattle at the end of our trip.

We went for a nice walk the first night in Seattle. It was beautiful out. We found a candy shop with sugar free chocolate covered toffee that Tom could have. It was really good. It is made with maldextrose, a sugar alcohol. We stopped at Starbucks so I could get a chai and to use the restroom. I had to have a code for the punch lock on the bathroom door. I that it was funny. We discovered that this is the way things work in Seattle now days, last year they had a huge wooden board attached to the key. It keeps people from coming in off the streets to use the restroom. You have to be a paying customer to get the code most places.

We also saw a kilt store, Tom says he will try one on for me to take a picture when we come back to Seattle on our way home.

Saturday in Seattle

After a good night's sleep we went out walking and found a Starbucks for me, after passing several that were closed due to it being the weekend, so we headed for Pike Public Market, where one was open. We walked by the Seattle War Memorial on the way.


Our hotel is in an area with several office buildings, so most of the coffee shops do not open on weekends as they do not get enough business. We found the original Starbucks.

After getting our morning drink fix we wandered around the market. We found a store with things made in Mexico. We bought Tom and Bryce t-shirts with skeleton prints on them, Bryce's has a guitar. We also bought hand-woven cotton blankets for each of the boys. They are being shipped home. I bought two cards with prints for me. The artist for the t-shirt prints and cards was Jose Guadalupe Posada. He is from the late 1800's and early 1900's and is the father of Mexican printmaking. They are Calaveras (Spanish for skulls or skeletons) and were often used as social messages, or political/social satire. It was a great place to do some Christmas shopping also.

We wandered around the market for a couple of hours. In Post Alley we fund a cool store that sold kids clothing with the names of classic rock bands, like the Greatful Dead, Pink Floyd, Tommy Petty, and more. Almost bought one for my nephew, until Tom saw the price and said NO WAY!

We headed out in search of food for lunch at the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar. It was excellent. The decor, the atmosphere, and the food.





I had a "little bit of this and which was a combo of tomato basil soup, apple stilton cheese honey roasted pecan and mixed greens salad, and half a veggie sandwich on a flat bread.



Tom had the pan roasted chicken in a marsala cream sauce. Both were delicious. We also splurged and each tried a flight of wine. Mine was the "sweet flight" and it hard to say which was my favorite as all three wines were excellent. Tom tried the "hard to say" flight which was wines with names that are hard to pronounce. They were also good, though a little drier than I like on two of them. For dessert we had what they call "little bits." Mine was a red velvet cake with a rich creamy frosting. It was tiny about 4 or 5 bites, just the right amount. Tom had the barely buzzed cheese, which was served with bread chips and fig jelly. It was a really good cheese that was rolled in powdered expresso beans. they said you could buy it at the Whole Foods store, so plan to pick some up on the way home to Anchorage. It was an expensive lunch but it was worth every penny and I plan to go back for lunch or dinner on our way back to Anchorage.

After lunch we headed to Macy's were I got a mini facial/makeover at the Origins counter when I went to buy some things I needed. They guy who waited on me was a real piece of work. He over did the makeup, even doing my brows. I thought I looked like a tart when he was done and after we left I wiped some of the makeup off. I am a simple girl when it comes to makeup. I had some stuff shipped home and kept the rest for the trip. Tom made a good sherpa since I only had one arm.

We headed back to the market and wandered around some more. When we found the restroom Tom had to take a picture as the ladies line was rather long and of course there was no line for the men's. He thought it was rather funny.


We bought cherries, and things for green juice and then went in search of the quilt store. We had to ask directions as there are so many different areas to the market.

Tom found a brewery down one level from the quilt store and left me alone in the store. I spent too much money of course and they are shipping my purchases of fabric, patterns, and a book home for me. (More on the specifics can be found on my quilting related blog at quilted-hearts.blogspot.com)

After the quilt store I met Tom down at the Pike Brewery Company. The owners ride a tandem and they have a tandem ale. Tom drank the beer, I bought the shirt. Tom bought a hat there with a monkey drinking a beer on it. Men! While there we met a nice couple from Spokane and a young man who is getting out of the Navy. He is currently at Bremerton and is planning to attend college to be a physical therapist. There is a quilt hanging in the brewery made from the brewery t-shirts.

They also have the following quote on the wall from Winston Churchill. I really liked it.
"I would give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety."
On the way out of the brewery Tom saw that they have cool growlers, so we plan to stop in when return to Seattle on our way home to Anchorage so he can get one.

We headed back to our hotel with a stop at Fontè for dinner. It is a cute little cafe and wine bar. We had Italian style pizza, which was very good. The cafe is inexpensive and the food was good.

We took a walk making our way back toward the hotel, with a stop to get orange juice for the green juice. It was a good day and very relaxing.

Sunday in Seattle

We slept in, made green juice and headed down to the pier area, stopping at Starbucks on the way. I have to have my morning chai. Walking along the pier we saw a cool fountain.

There was an artist set up on the street selling prints of his work. We stopped to chat with him and bought a print for my sister-in-law. I took a picture of him and his work and of his cool sign about art. I liked the sign.

We wandered farther down the pier and came to a woman who was doing henna tattoos. Now I do not have the guts to get a real tattoo, but have always wanted to get a henna tattoo so I did. I have a henna tattoo on the outside of my left calf. The lady who did it is from India and she did a good job. I have gotten multiple compliments on the tattoo. After the design had dried for about 15 minutes, she put a paste of lemon and sugar over it and said to keep the henna on for about 5 to 10 hours and to put more lemon and sugar paste on it after an hour. (She gave me the paste) After that she said to peel off the henna, wash it gently and put lotion on it. I had to be careful not to bump into anyone the rest of the day.

From there we wandered over to a piece of drift wood that looked like a whale and took pictures, then climbed what seemed like a million stairs to the market.

Along the way I took pictures of a brass pig which is representative of the fact that the market area use to be the sanitary market where they slaughtered pigs.


We also wandered by City Fish where they entertain the crowd by throwing fish. I looked at t-shirts and found one for an old 1930's movie called "Reefer Madness" that I almost bought. We went to "Crepe de France for lunch and shared a cheese crepe and a strawberry crepe, they were delicious.

We headed toward Macy's with a stop for postcards. We decided to go to Victoria Secret first, but ended up in the wrong building. It was beautiful inside and they had several pieces of Venetian Murano glass.

We found the right building and Victoria Secret, but it was in a temporary location because of construction and they only had lingerie, no yoga pants, so I will look in NY. We checked out the other stores on that level, where I bought three tops. Then headed down to the next and then headed back down to street level where I went in to Michael Kor's store just to look. I found a knit dress I liked, but it cost $1,300 dollars and I am not paying that for for a simple knit dress. I went in the store for the experience just to see his clothes. Not that big of a deal, people must buy for the label, or they did not have his best and brightest designs in that store.


Across the mall was Tiffany and Co. I had Tom take a picture of me at the entrance, and then we went in to just look. They have some gorgeous jewelry. As we were heading out a sales associate said that I needed to have the whole Tiffany's experience. She pulled out a ring and put it on my left ring finger. It was a 2 karat center stone with a total of one karat in small stones on either side and surrounding the center stone. It was a huge white diamond. It is categorized as a 1 in the D to G category, which is a top quality diamond. I asked if Tom could take a picture of it on my finger and she took us into a private viewing room. Tom took pictures of my hand with the ring on it. It was brilliant. The ring cost $19,700 dollars. It gave me chills. I am not sure I could ever wear a ring that expensive. I would be afraid of loosing it or being robbed.


She also showed us another ring that cost $12,000. It was a circle of diamonds (elongated diamond shape with small diamonds between each). She showed us how much higher quality the diamonds are. SHe said most people think they sparkle because of the light, but high quality ones sparkle without light. She blocked the light to the ring and it still sparkled just as brightly. It was absolutely gorgeous. I liked it better than the first one. It brought tears to my eyes.

I found a heart shaped necklace, set with diamonds in rose gold, that was designed by Picasso's daughter. It is more in my price range and I really liked it. Tom said "That's a house payment, but at least it is not a new car." She also showed me a $200 sterling silver heart designed by Picasso's daughter.

I have to say that if you go to Tiffany's you definitely need to have the whole Tiffany experience, just looking at the jewelry through the glass is not enough. You need to try on a ring.

After Tiffany's we headed to Macy's so I could get some essentials. I also bought 3 new tops there.

For dinner we went to P.F. Chang's where we had several appetizers: Crispy Green Beans, Szechuan Asparagus, Snap Peas, and Cucumbers. We also split the Orange Chicken. All of them were excellent. We got the green beans for free because they took so long to get them out to us, and the cucumber dish was free also. They were out of cucumbers and had to send a server to the grocery store to get some. For dessert we had mini tiramisu and mini red velvet cake.

We wandered through a few other stores on our way back the hotel. We also stopped at the Diller Hotel bar. When we walked in I headed straight for the restroom and the bar tender told Tom this is not a public restroom. Tom said he knew that and ordered us drinks. The bar tender obviously does not understand women, when we need to go, we go. Who needs to wait to order a drink first. After we left the Diller Hotel bar we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.

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